Your guide to green parenting, eco baby & green kids

Adjustable Bookend Shelf for Growing Book Collections

Tree by Kerri Lee is known for charming, vintage inspired goodies for little ones, and the designer’s latest creation, the bookend shelf, delivers the same. You can hang the sweet shelf, that’s decorated with either a bird, owl or elephant, on your child’s bedroom wall to hold the beginnings of their book collection. But even if she only has a few board books, you can keep them standing upright and organized by using the built-in, adjustable bookends that slide back and forth to fit the size of your book collection. We also love that the edges of the hand-painted wooden shelves are trimmed with pages from vintage children’s books that were rescued from a landfill destiny.

+ Bookend Shelf $68

+ Tree by Kerri Lee

5 Green Family Night Activities For Bonding and Fun!

by Beth Shea, 09/02/10

The priceless benefits that stem from simple yet meaningful family nights have the capacity to change society. The world around us becomes increasingly complex, fast-paced and isolating, but human beings continue to crave the same innate emotional connections and familiar bonds that may only be gained by spending treasured, undivided time in the presence of loved ones. By setting aside at least one night each week to enjoy quality time together as a family, stronger bonds, increased communication and a deeper understanding amongst family members is likely to be the result. Here are five green family night activities that will help you celebrate the earth and each other!

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Zebi Sustainable Baby Collection

by Julie Knapp, 09/01/10

Of all the adorable onesies and baby clothing at the New York International Gift Fair, Zebi caught our eye with their beautiful gift-ready and easy-to-reuse packaging. Their patterned fabrics and designs have a vintage-modern appeal. We love their 100 percent organic cotton baby tees that come kraft cans. Each one is embellished with a linen animal applique like a bird or a giraffe, and if you’re sending a baby gift to a friend afar, said can easily could double as a mailing tube. Zebi also has created a Bucket of Burpeies — three unbleached cotton burp clothes stuffed inside a clear one gallon paint can, which we’re sure moms can find plenty of uses for in the nursery, if not just to keep burp clothes on hand.

+ Organic Tee in Kraft Can $30

+ Bucket of Burpies $34

+ Zebi

The ‘Safe Cuddling’ Suit by Helge Fischer

by Desmond Williams, 09/01/10

Intended to stir debate about child safety in public spaces, the Safe Cuddling romper suit designed by Helge Fischer (a recent Royal College of Art graduate) has set off an alarm across the Internet. “The ‘Safe Cuddling’ suit allows for the innocent cuddling of children by helping adults to maintain their integrity,” says Fischer via a statement posted on the popular Dezeen blog.
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Go Retro With Hank & JoJo’s Original Baby Tube Socks

by Julie Knapp, 08/31/10

The Original Baby Tube Socks from Hank & JoJo caught our eye at this year’s New York International Gift Fair. The bold colors and extra-long length of these retro tall socks make them an adorable baby accessory, and since they come packaged in a metal lunch box (that’s lead-free and painted with food grade ink by the way), they’re perfect for gifting to your favorite hipster bambino. Since you don’t need to buy shoes for your newborn, these kickers made from bamboo dyed with AZO-free dyes, are a fun and sporty way to keep feet and legs warm. Currently, available in just one size, they fit kids 3 months to 18 months old, and some moms say they fit until age 2. Bigger versions are coming soon for toddlers and big kids and you can pre-order them now.

+ Retro Baby Tube Socks $30 for set of 4

+ Hank & JoJo

Stock Up on Green School Supplies at Stubby Pencil Studio

by Julie Knapp, 08/31/10

Whether you receive it before preschool starts or after the first day of class, inevitably going back to school comes with a list of must-buy supplies per your child’s teacher. While you may feel like crossing a few things off the list, and you may have colored pencils from last year that seem good enough, when you do have to buy supplies, it’s helpful to have a place that you can trust to have an eco-friendly selection. Stubby Pencil Studio, which offers all kind of eco-friendly stationery and art products for kids, has a comprehensive go-to section of green back to school supplies so can score everything your kid needs all in one fell swoop.

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Thorunn Arnadottir’s Tree Shelf Doubles as Storage and Art

by Julie Knapp, 08/30/10

When we first spotted the tree shelf decked out with apples at the New York International Gift Fair earlier this month, it was easy to see the tree shape right away. But the word at the show was that many attendees had to take a second look to catch the tree behind this abstract concept. Designed by Thorunn Arnadottir, this brilliant combination of plywood shelves and vinyl wall stickers creates a tree on your wall, leaves, trunk and all. Inspired by Mondrian, this tree shelve can add faux greenery, art and a spot for treasured trinkets in a child’s room all at the same time. After creating the tree shelf, Arnadottir also tried the same method to make a cloud shelf using gray shelving and white and gray wall stickers.

+ Tree Shelf $280

+ Thorunn Arnadottir

Net Zero Ocean Adventure Lab Up For Auction

by Bridgette Meinhold, 08/30/10

The folks at LPA Inc. and Turner Construction weren’t kidding around when the designed and built a net zero playhouse for this year’s Project Playhouse fundraiser for HomeAid in Orange County. The Ocean Adventure Lab goes above and beyond the requirements for a play house, utilizing green and recycled material in the construction as well as making it an fun and educational place for you kid to learn about the ocean. Ocean Adventure Lab along with six other amazing playhouses will be auctioned off for charity on September 10th in Orange County.

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Earthlust Birds & Bees Baby Bottles

by Jennifer Chait, 08/29/10

We’ve loved the pretty designs featured on Earthlust reusable water bottles for a long time. And now they’re catering to the very youngest tree huggers in the family, with the launch of their delightful Birds & Bees Baby Bottles. Like all Earthlust water bottles, these new baby bottles are made with quality stainless steel and are phthalate, PVC and BPA-free. Each Earthlust baby bottle set can help your little one transition from bottle to sippy as it comes with a slow flow nipple, a sippy top, and a transition ring for the bottle. Plus it insulates for 4 or more hours, and the lovely design can’t be beat.

+ Birds & Bees Baby Bottles – $24

+ Earthlust

Go Back to School in Polarn O. Pyret’s Eco-Friendly Clothing

by Jennie Lyon, 08/28/10

We’ve loved Polarn O. Pyret’s soft, simple 100 percent organic cotton basics for awhile. Now the Swedish children’s brand is expanding it’s ECO collection into recycled fleece for fall. The warm tops and bottoms are made from PET bottles — 25 plastic bottles are used to make one Wind Fleece Jacket for example. In the ECO collection, you’ll find vivid stripes and solids, as well as eye-catching images of nature — all pieces that can be mixed and matched or layered with stuff that’s already in your kid’s closet.

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Eco-Friendly Instinctive Bags for Green Kids and Parents

by Julie Knapp, 08/27/10

From diaper bags to toddler backpacks, Instinctive’s new line of recycled bags delivers on design, price and functionality. The eco-friendly bags are made from 100% recycled polyester, hardware and webbing, saving many plastic bottles from landfills. For parents, we love the Diaper Backpack. It comes with a padded changing mat, and it’s equipped with insulated bottle holders and a rubberized non-toxic waterproof coating to protect the bag from spills.

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Canada to List BPA as a Toxic Substance

by Julie Knapp, 08/27/10

It’s a good day to be Canadian. Canada will classify bisphenol-A (BPA) as toxic, making history as the first country to take such a definitive stance on the endocrine disrupting chemical. Environment Canada has now confirmed that the country is in the process of adding BPA to it’s list of toxic substances. BPA has been banned in baby bottles since 2008 in Canada and even though a “toxic” label was proposed at the time, the issue has been heavily debated (widely by the American Chemistry Council) until now. Coincidentally, statistics were released just last week showing that 91 percent of Canadians had BPA in their urine and the highest concentrations were in children. The Environmental Working Group says the chemical contaminates nearly 93 percent of the US population.

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PREVIEW: Topozoo Playsets Will Spark Imaginations

by Julie Knapp, 08/26/10

When we discovered Topozoo, Geared for Imagination’s latest toy incarnation, at this year’s New York International Gift Fair, we instantly knew it would be one of the top green gifts for kids this holiday. Each playset comes with 15 pieces that fit together to form three creatures in category of either safari animals, dinosaurs or monsters. But even though kids can make a giraffe or a T-rex, they can also let their imaginations run wild creating unique mash-ups.

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Inhabitots Interview in 5: gDiapers Co-Founder, Kim Graham Nye

by Beth Shea, 08/26/10

Nearly two years ago, we posted an informative and rave review of gDiapers, the planet’s first flushable diaper; and they received Inhabitots Founder Jill Fehrenbacher’s highest recommendation for a green hybrid diapering option. As the gDiaper collection has expanded, we’ve brought you all of their latest news, from gCloth washable diaper inserts, fashionable new gPant styles, and the latest addition to the line, biodegradable gWipes baby wipes. We were delighted to have the opportunity to present the five questions we ask all of our favorite green designers and eco companies, to Kim Graham Nye, co-founder of gDiapers. Read on for the scoop on how gDiapers got its start, and to learn about the character traits already prevalent in her toddler years that enabled Kim to spearhead this start-up company that is helping to save the planet one tush at a time!

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Don’t Forget to Enter Our Green Back-to-School Giveaway!

by Julie Knapp, 08/25/10

Our deadline is quickly approaching for our back-to-school giveaway. We’re giving one lucky Inhabitots reader a recycled Trunk Pack from Instinctive along with a $100 shopping spree from Stubby Pencil Studio to fill the bag with plenty of eco-friendly school supplies such as FSC certified wood colored pencils, soy crayons and banana paper notebooks. Don’t miss out on your chance to win — enter now by following the directions after the jump.

‘Little People’ – A Tiny Street Art Project by Slinkachu

Quirky art installations that inspire adults and kids alike are some of our favorite news items here at Inhabitots. Remember that gigantic pink hand-knit bunny awaiting visitors in the Italian Alps? And the wonderful “Small World” photography of Matthew Carden? ‘Little People,’ A Tiny Street Art Project by the artist Slinkachu that began in 2006, has also captured our attention and tickled our collective funny bone by showcasing “tiny little people left in the city to defend themselves.” The artist establishes humorous, poignant and thought-provoking shots, using miniature model train set characters poised against backdrops which incorporate street litter, historical landmarks and even insects and vermin. Slinkachu’s work has sprouted up in the UK, Italy, Greece and Norway, but these minuscule masterpieces most likely don’t even register on the radar of passerby.

Bebeloosh Mini Reusable Organic Snack and Sandwich Bags

In the quest to reduce or eliminate plastic from your life, plastic sandwich bags must go! Our latest find to replace them? The beautifully natural collection of organic sandwich and snack bags from Bebeloosh Mini, which are great for packing lunch bags for school or taking snacks on the go. Designer Elena Berlo creates each bag from a blend of 55 percent recycled hemp and 45 percent unbleached organic cotton, making them durable enough to withstand …

Our Favorite Kids Finds at New York Gift Fair

‘House Blanket’ by Donna Wilson

When chilly weather descends this fall, kids can literally wrap themselves in the comforts of home with designer Donna Wilson’s ‘house blanket.’ This cozy abode is knitted from 100% lambswool and may be fashioned into an instant-playhouse when kids drape it over chairs or various stationary objects. With a generous ‘living space’ of five by seven feet, several family members may also opt to cuddle together on the couch under this coverall, which would make a thematic refuge …

HOW TO: Make Ice Cube Tray Sushi

Since watching the End of the Line you may have sworn to stave your family off of fish. But with a little ingenuity (making a salmon/sweet potato substitution for example) and help from your sweetheart sushi chefs, this DIY recipe for Ice Cube Tray Sushi by former Cookie magazine editors, Pilar Guzmán, Jenny Rosentrach, and Alanna Stang from their new book Time For Dinner is sure to please tiny pallets.

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